In recent years, the Stalin Line Historical and Cultural Complex has evolved from a traditional museum of military vehicles and fortifications into a truly interactive entertainment centre.
To see this for yourself, simply visit at the weekend, particularly when a historical reenactment is taking place.
On 22 July 2017, the complex hosted a reenactment of the dramatic events that had taken place in Belarus 100 years earlier, in July 1917: the Krevo Offensive. The event was held with the support of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus.
Before the reenactment began, interactive entertainment areas were open for adults and younger visitors. Motya the Clown truly immersed the children and their parents in a cheerful atmosphere.
There was a tank crew school, a shooting range and a Ready for Labour and Defence (GTO) activity area.
Visitors could go horse riding, ride a quad bike or paint a military vehicle with a brush. Alternatively, they could simply enjoy the swings and have an ice cream.
As a bonus, the most active participants in the interactive activities were given the opportunity to ride in a real tank free of charge.
The highlight of the day was the reenactment of the Krevo Offensive.
Alexander Metla, Executive Director of the “Memory of Afghanistan” Foundation:
— Reenacting events from the First World War is a new project for the complex. Our first event devoted to this period, the “Early Thunderstorm” Remembrance Day, was well received by our visitors, so we decided to broaden the format and make it even more ambitious as part of a festival involving clubs and reenactors from CIS countries and neighbouring states.
This was the last major operation on the Western Front. It took place in what is now Belarus amid the disintegration of the Russian Imperial Army and the anarchic revolutionary fervour that had swept through its ranks.
Rallies were held among the troops, soldiers’ committees could overturn commanders’ decisions, and desertion and the feigning of injuries to avoid fighting were increasingly common. Regular officers were forced literally to plead with the soldiers to attack.
Under these circumstances, the operation was doomed to fail from the outset and was therefore postponed several times over the course of the year. However, the Provisional Government needed successes at the front. Who knows: had the operation succeeded, Russia might have followed a different path, but history does not deal in hypotheticals.
Kerensky, the Minister of War at the time, and his representatives visited the troops. They urged the soldiers to go into battle. The soldiers listened, then did precisely the opposite.
The Krevo Offensive began with a massive artillery bombardment of the German positions. The enemy’s first two defensive lines were literally swept away. The bombardment also finally reduced Krevo Castle to ruins.
The Russian troops’ attack swiftly overran the German Army’s positions.
However, on encountering the surviving third German defensive line, the Russian Imperial Army came under fire and began to suffer casualties.
The demoralised soldiers refused to continue the offensive, turned back and abandoned the captured enemy positions.
A handful of officers and soldiers who remained true to their oath went on the attack and fell on the battlefield.
For two days, Bochkareva’s Women’s Battalion heroically defended its positions. Its members were known as the “Russian Amazons”. It was one of the few units to maintain discipline and remain true to its duty, but it could not determine the course of events.
Had it been victorious, the Provisional Government could have calmed the population, secured support from the Allied forces and brought the war to a victorious conclusion.
However, the collapse of discipline in the army prevented this plan from being realised and became one of the factors that helped the Bolsheviks come to power.
The reenactors succeeded in creating an immersive atmosphere of the period. For spectators, it was a unique experience that left unforgettable impressions.
However, it is better to see something once with your own eyes than to read about it a hundred times. Come along to our forthcoming events; there are plenty more before the end of the year.
Stalin Line Historical and Cultural Complex Event Schedule for 2017:
August
05.08.2017 “Afghan Sky” Festival marking Paratroopers Day. Reenactment of a battle from the Afghan War.
September
09.09.2017 Tankers’ Day. Reenactment of a Great Patriotic War battle.
10.09.2017 Tankers’ Day. Reenactment of a battle from the Afghan War.
23.09.2017 “BATTLE OF THE MACHINES 4”
November
18.11.2017 Artillerymen’s Day. Reenactment of a Great Patriotic War battle.
December
23.12.2017 Opening of Father Frost’s Residence
Based on material from travel.otzyv.by
Text and photographs: Vitaly Dorosh
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